1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for automatically cleaning a surface and more particularly to an apparatus for automatically cleaning a door handle on a self-closing door.
2. Background of the Related Art
People become sick from, among other things, exposure to bacteria and viruses that they encounter in the environment. These organisms are found on just about every surface that people touch everyday. When a person touches a surface that has viruses or bacteria on it, there is a good chance that a virus or bacteria may be transferred from the surface to the person. The bacteria or viruses may then possibly enter the person's body if the person subsequently touches his or her eyes or mouth, or through some other orifice or opening in the skin, such as a cut. Moreover, the reverse may also happen, i.e. a person that is ill or carrying bacteria or viruses on his or her person may transfer the bacteria or virus to any surface or person that he or she touches. The spread of disease through direct and indirect personal contact is well documented in medical literature and in the literature of the art. Because door handles in public areas are used by a multitude of persons, the door handles become the unwitting agents of the spread of diseases. Therefore, there is a need for a device to clean a door handle to prevent the spread of disease among people who use the door.
In addition to the known medical causes of the spread of diseases, some people have a phobia of contracting such diseases from door handles. People that have this condition encounter difficulty in daily living by having to wait for others to operate the door for them or resort to carrying home-made tools with them that enable them to open doors without touching them, or having a multitude of disposable tissues or latex gloves on hand at all times. Waiting for others to operate a door suffers the obvious disadvantage that nobody else may be around to operate a particular door that the person needs to gain access through. Tools suffer the disadvantage in that there are many different types of doors. A person would have to carry a different type of tool for each kind of door. Latex gloves and tissues are slightly more practicable, but they suffer from the disadvantage that the person must carry a constant supply that becomes exhausted throughout the day. Therefore, there is a need for a self cleaning door handle that obviates the need for a person to have a separate tool, disposable tissue or glove, or help from another person.
One device that attempts to solve these problems is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,046,508, issued to McDonald. The McDonald patent discloses a self-cleaning door handle apparatus that is intended to be mechanically operated when the door is opened. As can be seen in the figures and described in the specification, it is intended that a rod is to be pushed by the opening of the door, which causes a pawl to engage a gear to turn a wheel, which functions as the door handle. As the wheel turns, it passes through a wipe that applies a sterile solution to the wheel from a reservoir. The apparatus also has a squeegee to dry the surface of the wheel. A critical flaw in this invention, however, is the fact that the wheel turns as the user operates the door. This is precisely when the device should not operate because the user is grasping the wheel. Moreover, the inherent design of using the push rod will not function as anticipated and makes the device prone to jamming. In particular, the travel distance between the door and the doorjamb is insufficient to push the rod a sufficient distance to drive the wheel. Therefore, there is a need of a self-cleaning door handle device that does not operate while the user is grasping he handle and a self-cleaning door handle device that functions properly and is less prone to jamming.